Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Colombia
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Ethnicity
Nearly 60% of the people in Colombia claim to be mestizo, which is a combination of European and Amerindian descent. Another fifth claim to be wholly European and the rest of the people are a combination of ethnicities, including Africans. Almost everyone with European descent of any degree tends to be ethnically Spanish, although Italian and, to a lesser degree, German also make up a significant part of these ethnic European groups.
There is almost no one in Colombia today who claims to be wholly Amerindian, but many of the people have some indigenous blood. This heritage tends to include the intermarrying of Europeans with the Muiscas, Taironas, and Ingas (more commonly known as Quechua in other parts of South America).
Language
Nearly everyone in Colombia speaks Spanish natively and this is the country's only official language. Spanish is a Romance language also spoken in Spain; it is closely related to other Romance languages, including Portuguese, Italian, French, Romanian, others. The dialect of Spanish in Colombia is quite distinct in comparison to that of Spain and there are also many minor differences in the language across Latin America.